Shire to complete missing link in Torquay shared path

A PROJECT to improve the footpath connectivity between Torquay’s Surf City Plaza and the township’s central business district and foreshore has received a $100,000 grant from the state government.

The project will deliver a missing 250-metre link in the shared accessible path system running along the Surf Coast Highway between Spring Street and Bristol Road.

Chris Pike, the Surf Coast Shire’s general manager of placemaking and environment, said the footpath extension would better connect some of Torquay’s “key commercial and activity zones”.

“The path will be suitable for wheelchairs, have tactile ground indicators for people with visual impairments and connect with public transport,” he said.

“Its completion will deliver on active transport goals in our Safer Cycling and Pathway strategies, which were shaped by extensive community consultation.”

The $230,340 project will be funded jointly by the shire and the state government, with the government’s $100,000 contribution funded through its Council Support Package, designed to enable councils to deliver legacy projects that might have been generated by the hosting of the Commonwealth Games.

Minister for Regional Development Gayle Tierney said the state government was proud to support projects, like the footpath extension in Torquay, that will lead to “better public spaces, more economic activity and better outcomes for visitors and locals”.

Meanwhile, the council will put $130,340 toward the project, funded through the shire’s Roads to Recovery program allocation, a federal government initiative aiming to facilitate greater accessibility, and improve the safety, of local roads.

“We had been planning to implement the work ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games to enable better access for visitors of all abilities and to support local supporting and cultural events including the coastal rowing,” Mr Pike said.

“We are pleased to be proceeding now with this $100,000 grant via Regional Development Victoria’s Council Support Program.

“We are about to have the path surveyed and expect further design and construction to take about three months.”